Omnichannel

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM announced that S&S Worldwide grew recommendation sales 75% in just three months with IBM Smarter Commerce software in the cloud.  S&S is a national distributor of sporting goods products for recreation, health care, and education professionals and is using IBM software to drive personalized product recommendation sales via its Web sites.

Walmart pulled out of Korea a few years ago and may not be paying much attention to the market, but there are some interesting things happening there. For example, Tesco has developed an interesting shopper marketing solution that appeals to time-starved Korean commuters. The strategy could be applied to other urban areas where hordes of smart phone wielding commuters have embraced QR codes and ride well maintained mass transit systems. Even though those requirements rule out most U.S.

Los Angeles -- Shopping mall owner Westfield Group said Wednesday it is implementing a new feature on its in-mall mobile shopping app by using Google Commerce search technology.

The launch of the debut product search feature, available via the free Westfield App, allows shoppers to browse the merchandise offerings of retailers located in all 55 Westfield shopping centers.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced that its video-on-demand service Vudu is now available for the iPad. 

iPad users can go to Vudu.com and browse through Vudu's entertainment content library, which includes more than 20,000 blockbusters, Hollywood classics, independent films and TV episodes, then rent or purchase and watch them instantly. For one touch access to Vudu, customers can add a Vudu icon to their iPad desktops by clicking the "Add to Home Screen" button when on Vudu.com.  

San Francisco -- Gap will open two Athleta store this week in Manhattan’s Upper East and Upper West side neighborhoods. The openings mark the women’s active wear brand’s entry into the East Coast market, and support Athleta’s plan to open up to 50 stores by 2013.

“Entering New York is a significant milestone for us as we aim to grow our share of the $31 billion women’s active wear market,” said Scott Key, senior vice president and general manager of Athleta.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — HSN announced that it has launched a new campaign inviting customers to determine what products are featured in its new specialty More to Like" online store, found at HSN.com/like. Products are determined based on "likes" on the HSN.com, HSN Mobile or HSN's Facebook page.

Dallas -- Retalix announced Tuesday that grocery chain Tops Markets has selected Retalix’s StoreLine point-of-sale software application to lower the cost of ownership and increase the functionality of its front-end operations.

According to Tops, the chain was looking to upgrade its legacy POS software as part of a larger initiative to enhance customer service.

RESTON, Va. — Online U.S. retail spending in second quarter 2011 reached $37.5 billion for the quarter, up 14% versus year ago, comScore reported Monday. This growth rate represented the seventh consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates.